Raiders should entertain opportunity to fleece team who ‘loves’ Ashton Jeanty.
The Raiders may or may not be totally in on taking Ashton Jeanty No. 6 overall, but there could be an opportunity to fleece a team who apparently really likes him. Leaning into their need for a bell cow running back and head coach Pete Carroll’s history, the Las Vegas Raiders and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty have been a low-hanging fruit match in 2025 mock drafts. General manager John Spytek has even noted a unique kind of “pressure” to take Jeanty at No. 6 overall. We are in the teeth of pre-draft smokescreen season. So anything that gets out as professed insight into what a team will do, players a team likes/doesn’t like, or about a prominent player’s draft stock, has to be taken with that grain of salt. ESPN’s fresh roundup of draft buzz has suggested the Raiders taking Jeanty at sixth overall, such as much of anything should be considered a lock to happen, might not be the lock it seems to be. The same column had this about the Chicago Bears, from draft analyst Matt Miller. The Bears love Ashton Jeanty, according to scouts around the league who’ve observed the team’s activity this offseason. So the Boise State running back could be the pick at No. 10 … if he’s still around. On the Just Win podcast last week, Ted Nguyen of The Athletic pointed to the Bears as a team who could trade up for Jeanty if/when he’s there at No. 6.
The Bears love Ashton Jeanty, according to scouts around the league who’ve observed the team’s activity this offseason. So the Boise State running back could be the pick at No. 10 … if he’s still around.On the Just Win podcast last week, Ted Nguyen of The Athletic pointed to the Bears as a team who could trade up for Jeanty if/when he’s there at No. 6. I think if there’s a team that would come up for Jeanty, it would be the Bears. They’re not too far off [with pick] 10,” Nguyen said. “And I think maybe all this signaling and leaks that they like Jeanty or whatever could be an incentive to try to get the Bears to trade up.” Vic Tafur of The Athletic noted the last part of Spytek’s comments to Sirius XM NFL Radio about where his son’s “ultimatum’ to draft Jeanty is rooted. “Jack (Spytek’s son) is motivated by fantasy football and touchdowns in fantasy football”, Spytek said. “Not necessarily all of the team building.” That last part may be revealing — as Spytek and the Raiders are clearly concerned with team building in Year 1 of the team’s third regime in three years or it just may be Spytek dropping some random breadcrumbs for those trying to figure out what the Raiders are going to do”, Tafur wrote.
Bears’ rumored affinity for Ashton Jeanty may give Raiders an opportunity to fleece them
If the Bears want Jeanty that badly (again, a possible smokescreen) and the Raiders are willing to move out of No. 6, a trade could happen pretty easily. But what might a trade look like? Using the classic Jimmy Johnson draft pick value chart, the No. 6 overall pick is worth 1,600 points and the No. 10 pick (the Bears’ first-round pick) is worth 1,300 points. The Bears have two second-round picks (No. 39 and No. 41) and one third-rounder (No. 72), worth 510, 490 and 230 points respectively on the value chart.
On the Raiders’ end, having three sixth-round picks feels less than ideal. Even with a roster than needs an across the board talent injection, that’s a few too many late-round fliers–equaling how many picks they have in the top-70 overall right now. The Raiders would probably be fine staying put at No. 6 and taking Jeanty, or whoever else they might fancy. But if there’s an opportunity to fleece someone who really likes Jeanty, in this case the Bears, they could land in the enviable position of setting the trade parameters.
Here’s a “take it of leave it” hypothetical trade proposal the Raiders can hold their ground on if the Bears have great affinity for Jeanty. If it’s too rich for them, so be it.
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If you’ve already decided, in your heart, that the Raiders are absolutely going to draft Ashton Jeanty this year, you don’t need to be here. I certainly don’t blame you – Jeanty’s been the go-to guy for the Raiders in basically every mock draft since the season ended. He’s also, notably, one of the most exciting prospects in this year’s draft. It’s been that sort of an offseason for the Raiders, too – what’d be a better way to cap off an exciting, encouraging offseason than taking one of the most exciting, encouraging players in this year’s class? So, yeah – if you have no interest in hearing how the Raiders may not actually take Jeanty, no harm no foul. See you in a few weeks!
Raiders reporter throws (a tiny amount) of cold water on the Ashton Jeanty dream
“During Carroll’s 14-year tenure in Seattle, the franchise took six offensive players in the first round, including four linemen and a running back. In 2023 — his final draft as coach there — the Seahawks selected wideout Jaxson Smith-Njigba and cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who both made the Pro Bowl this past season. While taking running back Ashton Jeanty (Boise State) seems like the most logical move, don’t be surprised if the Raiders decide to take an offensive lineman or cornerback.”
The good news is that if you’re like me and have had your attention span absolutely kneecapped by the internet, the first half of that Jeanty sentence is great. It does seem like the most logical move. Let’s not make this harder than it needs to be. All that being said, I do trust Carroll’s opinion on corners, though, and the Raiders could certainly use the help there. Still – I’ve read too many mock drafts against my will to lose out on the Jeanty dream now. We’ve gone too far. When head coach Antonio Pierce took over for the Las Vegas Raiders, the plan was for the offense to manage the game and allow the defense to carry the team to victory. Unfortunately, the defense suffered a series of injuries last season and the offense was plagued by some of the worst quarterback play in the league. Many in Raider Nation wanted the team to tank at the end of the season to land a top collegiate quarterback in the NFL Draft like Miami’s Cam Ward or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. This plan failed though, as two meaningless wins at the end of the year seemingly put them out of contention. Las Vegas instead traded for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith and extended him for up to $85.5 million, shutting the door on trading up for a rookie signal-caller. Sanders’ stock has begun to fall in the months and weeks leading up to the draft, which led some to believe that the Raiders could take Sanders at No. 6 and replicate a Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. scenario. This is not likely to unfold for the Silver and Black, however. Despite a report that the team was meeting with Sanders, FanDuel Sportsbook recently updated their NFL Draft odds for each team, as well as individual players, and they indicate that Sanders being drafted by Las Vegas is incredibly unlikely.
The odds-on favorite to land Sanders is the Saints, followed by the Giants, Steelers, Jets, Browns and Rams. Las Vegas is seventh on the list, just ahead of the Seahawks, but the odds are a longshot. Not to mention, the odds for what position the Raiders are most likely to draft first are available, and a quarterback is nowhere on the list. Running back, cornerback, offensive line, linebacker, defensive line and wide receiver are all more likely than Las Vegas taking a signal-caller in the first round. According to FanDuel, the Raiders are the most likely team to select Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty with the No. 6 pick, which means that the team would have to pass on Sanders if he is available.
At one point in the offseason, it seemed like Sanders to Las Vegas was almost a guarantee and that the interest between the two camps was mutual. However, things change fast in the NFL, and any notion of the Colorado quarterback joining the Silver and Black feels like a distant memory. In the NFL Draft, anything can happen, and odds are just odds. But the good folks in Las Vegas are not in the business of losing money, so they wouldn’t give high odds to anything that is likely to happen. The Las Vegas Raiders are one of a few teams in the 2025 NFL Draft who could spend a ton of time studying the incoming quarterback class. Ohio State quarterback Will Howard is one name that will generate a great deal of interest. It was no secret that the Las Vegas Raiders needed a leadership change this offseason after a devastating four-win campaign in 2024. Owner Mark Davis provided just that in early February as he hired a duo of Pete Carroll and John Spytek to revive the franchise. Things got off to a rocky start for the new regime, however, when the team lost half of its defensive starters in the first week of free agency. Some in Raider Nation complained about the team’s lack of activity on the open market, but Carroll and Spytek held firm as they refused to overpay players. However, some scenarios are more likely to play out on draft night than others. FanDuel Sportsbook recently updated their odds for the NFL Draft, and they indicate that the Raiders have only two legitimate options in the first round. Based on the betting odds, Las Vegas will either select Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty or Michigan cornerback Will Johnson with their first pick. Not only is Jeanty’s most likely landing spot with the Raiders, but the odds also indicate that Las Vegas is most likely to pick a running back with the No. 6 pick. Cornerback is the second-most likely position for the Raiders to select, and Johnson is widely considered the best in the class. These odds are fluid and will change in the weeks leading up to the draft, but the fact remains that Las Vegas has two holes in their roster that can be filled by great players in the first round. Jeanty ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns last season, and despite finishing second in the Heisman Trophy voting behind Colorado’s Travis Hunter, many feel that he is one of the best overall prospects in the draft. It is a deep running back class, which gives some fans pause about selecting one so early, but all signs point to him being a generational talent.Johnson missed the second half of the season in 2024, but over the last year and a half, he recorded seven passes defended and six interceptions, three of which he returned for a touchdown. He’s a tall player who has great ball skills, but oftentimes he can be too aggressive. Still, he would be an instant starter on the Raiders’ defense and has all the makings of a shutdown corner. Odds cannot account for every scenario, as trading up or down the draft board would throw things for a loop. But if both of these players are available when the Raiders are on the clock with the No. 6 pick, the franchise truly cannot go wrong with either.
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